TO THE RIVER ES'PIRITO SANTO. 



145 



Beyond the lagoa of Ciri, at the inhabited houses just mentioned, 

 our four soldiers took leave of us. We now quitted the lake, and 

 entered a beautiful wood, and here and there met with plantations. 

 These, it is true, are also exposed to the attacks of the savages, but 

 the inhabitants are sufficiently provided with arms. As we pro- 

 ceeded, the forest became more and more beautiful, lofty, and 

 romantic ; the tall slender stems form an umbrageous texture, so 

 that the path, overgrown on all sides, resembles a narrow, dark, 

 embowered walk. We frequently saw falcons, particularly the falco 

 plumbeus. Linn., which is very common here, sitting on the tops of the 

 high withered branches of old lofty trees, on the watch for prey. The 

 white kite with the forked tail (falco fur catus^ Linn.) one of the most 

 beautiful of the birds of prey of this country, frequently hovered over 

 this fine forest. We should have had great pleasure in hunting here, 

 had not the innumerable moskitoes been so troublesome : our hands and 

 faces were immediately covered with them, and the horses and mules 

 suffered particularly from the gad-flies ( nidtuccas. ) We soon reached 

 open meadows, where the marshes and logons were full of ducks, 

 gulls, and herons. About noon we reached the river Itapemirim, on 

 the south bank of which lies the villa of the same name. It is seven 

 leagues from Muribecca, is a small newly-built place, and contains 

 some good houses, but cannot be called more than a village. The 

 inhabitants are partly poor planters, whose plantations are in the 

 neighbourhood, partly fishermen, and a few mechanics. The captain 

 commandant, or Captain Mor, of the district of Itapemirim generally 

 resides at his fazencla, which is not far off; and in the town itself 

 lives a Sargento Mor of the militia. The river, in which some small 

 brigs were lying, is very narrow, but causes some trade in the produce 

 of the plantations, consisting of sugar, cotton, rice, millet, and wood 

 from the forests. A thunder-shower, which fell in the mountains, 

 shewed us how rapidly and dangerously the waters of the torrid 



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